1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document image processing apparatus and a method for analyzing a layout structure of an input document.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in a document image processing apparatus to input a document as the image data (for example, a facsimile apparatus or a copy machine), a user indicates the necessary area to be edited from the document on a display using a pointing device. The indicated area is edited by the user""s operation. However, in the document image processing apparatus of the prior art, the user""s editing is limited to an extraction of the indicated area from the document, or a simple enlargement and a simple reduction of the indicated area because of the function characteristic required for the document image processing apparatus. Furthermore, in the prior art, the user must decide the necessary area to be edited in the document and correctly indicate this area on the display by the pointing device. Accordingly, this operation is troublesome for the user.
In Japanese Patent Application PH7-180442, each area is automatically extracted from an input document and this area image is displayed. The user can execute editing such as deletion, division, or unification for this area by using the pointing device. However, in this technique, the editing is limited to deletion, division, and unification. This editing function is not sufficient for the user to manage the document image.
As mentioned-above, in the document image processing apparatus of the prior art, editing of the document image is limited to extraction, division, unification, and simple enlargement/reduction. In short, this editing is not sufficient for the user. Furthermore, the user must directly indicate the area to be edited from the document image on the display using the pointing device. Therefore, this operation is troublesome for the user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a document image processing apparatus and method able to easily execute various kinds of editings for the document image data.
According to the present invention, there is provided a document image processing apparatus, comprising: a layout analysis means for analyzing a layout structure of an input image; a layout information memory means for storing layout information representing a relation between the layout structure and corresponding area in the input image; an image display means for displaying the corresponding area in the input image according to the layout information; an indication input means for inputting an indication to modify the corresponding area in the input image displayed by said image display means; and a modification means for modifying the corresponding area in the input image and the layout structure of the corresponding area in the layout information according to the indication.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a document image processing method, comprising the steps of: analyzing a layout structure of an input image; storing layout information representing a relation between the layout structure and corresponding area in the input image; displaying the corresponding area in the input image according to the layout information; inputting an indication to modify the corresponding area in the input image displayed at the displaying step; and modifying the corresponding area in the input image and the layout structure of the corresponding area in the layout information according to the indication.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a computer readable memory, comprising: an instruction means for causing a computer to analyze a layout structure of an input image; an instruction means for causing a computer to store layout information representing the relation between the layout structure and corresponding area in the input image; an instruction means for causing a computer to display the corresponding area in the input image according to the layout information; an instruction means for causing a computer to input an indication to modify the corresponding area in the input image displayed; and an instruction means for causing a computer to modify the corresponding area in the input image and the layout structure of the corresponding area in the layout information according to the indication.